The present disclosure relates generally to patient support systems, such as beds, stretchers, wheelchairs and the like. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to patient supports having therapy delivery devices and/or physiologic monitoring devices integrated therewith.
Patient support systems such as hospital beds conventionally have features adapted to provide comfort to the patient, as well as to assist the caregiver in positioning and transporting the patient. For example, such beds can include articulating sections to allow the patient to be placed in a variety of positions, for comfort of the patient and to assist the caregiver in caring for the patient. Such beds might also include electronic displays to indicate the status of the various features of the bed, such as the brake status, the siderail position, and the bed height. Additionally, such beds can allow for communications with caregivers via audio components.
While such patient support systems can be very useful in assisting caregivers and providing improved safety and comfort to patients, additional medical device and therapy capabilities are oftentimes not included in the conventional patient support systems. Some prior art patient support systems do have therapy and physiologic monitoring devices integrated therein, however. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,664,270; 5,715,548; 6,493,568; 6,899,103; 7,038,588; 7,154,397; 7,343,916; 7,515,059; 7,641,623 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 20080126132; 20080005838; and 20050190068. However, a need persists for further contributions in this area of technology.